The Rescue
by firenze21
Summary: Alec, Jace and Clary must track down Valentine to find Madzie before the clock runs out on Clary's blood-oath. But when they find out just what Valentine has done to this little girl, and how he's tried to destroy her warlock mark, Alec discovers a new kind of protectiveness within himself.
1. Round And Round

The rotting black mark that had covered only Clary's hand this morning was now closing in on her shoulder. Magnus had removed the painful effect of the blood-oath, but the fear of knowing that she had just an hour to live was more paralyzing than physical pain.

She ran through the dark alley at Jace's heels, Alec a few paces ahead of them.

"He should be just up here!" Alec yelled, turning his head back toward his parabatai.

Jace looked back to Clary and saw the tears pool in her eyes. What if they couldn't find Madzie? What if they were wrong about where Valentine was keeping her?

Without missing a step, Jace reached out and held onto her good hand, offering the only comfort he could manage. He wanted to stop and tell her it would be ok, to hold her in his arms let her bury her face into his neck, but they were out of time.

Once again, Jace would need to be mentally prepared to out-smart his father and to take custody of a hostage — a little girl whom he'd never met.

Alec rounded the corner and stopped abruptly at a metal door to an oversized warehouse. He was puzzled. He could have sworn he heard carnival music playing softly in the background.

Jace and Clary nodded at Alec, who loaded a new arrow into his bow before kicking open the door and walking inside, Clary and Jace covering him from behind.

"Hope you're not scared of clowns, Jace," Alec said.

"Is this where the carnival goes to die?" Jace asked.

"Madzie," Clary whispered, trying to keep them focused.

"Clary," Jace said softly, "I don't see anyone."

Clary jumped back as one of the carnival rides whirled to life. The cars on the track squeaked against the rails, lights flashing. It reminded Clary of a horror movie she had seen with Simon when they were younger.

"Care for a ride?!"

Jace, Clary and Alec snapped their attention to the voice.

"We don't have time for games, Valentine!" Clary yelled. Jace threw a cursory glance her way, surprised by her brazen attitude.

Valentine stood on top of the ticket booth at the center of the warehouse. The lights slowly became more bright, illuminating the space.

"Clarissa," Valentine said, "I'm so glad you've come to meet your new sister. Madzie is delighted to have someone to play with."

And just at the drop of her name, Clary's spirit grew stronger. She could feel the blood-oath in her shoulder twitching.

"Yes," Clary said, fighting every instinct in her body to agree with the man whom she despised so much. "I would like to see her."

Alec watched carefully as Valentine glanced over his own left shoulder, toward the carousel, and when Valentine jumped down off the ticket booth toward Jace and Clary, Alec made an effort to move closer to that part of the warehouse.

Valentine froze when he saw the extent of the damage to Clary's arm. Jace had never seem him so look afraid, so intimidated.

"Who did this to you, Clarissa?" Valentine asked.

"You did," Jace answered. "And if you don't leave this building in the next minute, Clary will die."

Valentine tried to inch closer to them, but Jace guarded Clary protectively.

"There was a spell," Jace explained, "a blood-oath about you in New York. That's why we came to find you. We're bound to expel you from the city, alone, and if you don't leave…"

Clary stared at Jace with wide eyes. Was this actually going to work? Did Valentine not know about Clary's true blood-oath with Iris?

On the far side of the warehouse, Alec slowly circled round the back of the carousel. His eyes were sure to scan every inch of the ride, but it was a little pink shoe that caught his attention.

Madzie was strapped onto one of the carousel horses, curled forward with her head drooped against the pole, her hands fiercely clutching the horse's ears.

With her hair fallen to one side, Alec could just make out the gill cuts in her neck— no, they weren't her gills. They were fresh, cut against her warlock mark.

He moved toward her, ready to sweep her up into his arms, when he felt a pull. His parabatai mark.

"Alec!"

Alec turned on his heels and sprinted back to Jace and Clary. Valentine had made a portal, but he had Jace in a headlock, wanting to his son through with him. Alec locked eyes with his parabatai.

"Are you really going to let your perfect daughter die, Valentine?" Jace asked, his breath hitched. He was still trying to taunt him.

"I don't think the blood-oath will mind if my half-demon son comes with me, now will it?"

Jace's heart dropped with he saw his parabatai standing just a few feet away. Jace pleaded with his best friend. "Alec, not again."

Alec nodded to Clary before mechanically pulling an arrow from his quiver and loading his bow, sending it laterally through

Valentine's chest before the elder Shadowhunter had time to realize what had happened.

Of course Valentine would live, but with help from Clary, Jace was able to break away from the man's hold, and Alec sent another arrow through his chest, causing Valentine to stumble back.

Valentine looked to Alec with a smirk, "Keep my daughters safe."

Jace pulled his seraph blade and lunged at the man, sending Valentine through the portal. Clary threw her arms around Jace's hips to hold him back, terrified that he'd fall through as well.

Clary turned him round, and Jace pulled her into his arms, holding her close and trying to bring her any remaining ounce of comfort that he could.

They stood still, trying subconsciously to match their breathing.

"How's your arm?" Jace asked.

"We're close to her," Clary said. "I knew as soon as we got inside."

"Where's Alec?"

Clary gasped. "Did he find her?"

Jace took Clary's hand and they ran toward the direction where Alec had come from earlier. Alec heard their footsteps quickening and called out to them in a voice that Clary thought was rather unusually happy.

"Hi, Jace," Alec said, speaking slowly with a smile forcibly plastered across his face. "Hi, Clary. This is my friend, Madzie."

Clary realized why Alec had changed his demeanor. The little girl on the carousel was staring at them, and she was absolutely terrified.

"Jace," Alec said, "could you call Magnus and—"

"Yeah," Jace said. He backed away, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. He'd never met the kid before, but he knew she'd only ever met adults who treated people poorly, and she had no reason to trust the three of them.

"Do you remember that day we met at your Nana's house?" Alec asked her. He crouched down as he talked and slowly removed the quiver of arrows from his shoulder, placing it gently on the ground. He lay the bow beside it.

"I was waiting by the front door, and you were sitting on the stairs… you have some cool gills."

At the mention of her gills, Madzie flinched and pushed her shoulders up as high as she could to hide her neck.

Alec looked back to Clary, remembering the original purpose of the mission. Clary's eyes were watering.

"Are you still hurt, Fray?" he asked.

"What? No," Clary said. "It's almost below my elbow now."

"Then what is it?" Alec whispered.

"I've just…" she mumbled. "I've never seen you like this."

"You have any better ideas?"

"Just, show her you're safe. I don't think she'll hurt you."

Alec looked back to Madzie, whose little body was shaking.

"You know," Alec said, resuming his sweet, sing-song voice, "we could get out of this dark place and go somewhere safe where it's warm." He slowly moved closer to her as he spoke, trying not to startle her.

"And we can eat a good dinner, and get you cleaned up…" He was just a few feet away now.

Alec softened his voice even more. "I'd bet we could even make those cuts go away."

This was a tempting offer. Madzie knew she was trapped up on the carousel horse and that she couldn't run away, but she didn't know who this man was. Was she supposed to remember him? She heard them yelling at the bad man. The bad man had been nice at first too. He had brought her ice cream...

Alec put one foot up on the base of the carousel and crouched down to make sure that he was "smaller" than her.

Clary watched the whole thing unfold from further back, not wanting to add to the girl's fear. This entire other side of Alec was so amusing to her.

Jace walked back over and reached for Clary's hand, examining it as if he were a medical professional. Clary snickered at his confidence.

The blood-oath was now pulling down to her wrist though. Jace moved his arm around Clary's back, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Have you ever seen Alec like this before?" she asked him.

"A few times," Jace said. "Mostly with Max. But if this were Max, he would have just grabbed him and started running. Alec doesn't usually have this kind of…"

Alec looked up into Madzie's eyes and tried desperately to show her that he would not harm her.

"It's my job to keep people safe," he said. Alec tried his best to look her over for other injuries as he talked, but he couldn't be sure if she was in physical pain. "And I promise you that I will take you to a place where no one will hurt you."

Alec saw the little girl give a small nod and his heart jumped.

"Ok, so I'm going to unclip this right here," Alec said, reaching for the buckle on the safety strap. Madzie flinched at the sound, but she almost seemed relieved when the strap fell to the side, off of her back.

Alec was afraid to reach out to see if she would let him lift her up because if she jerked away from him, she could fall. He didn't want to just grab her without her permission or he would lose whatever trust he just worked to build. He decided to stay crouched down, still making sure to present himself as smaller than her, and reached up again with a single hand. This time, he placed his fingers gently under her palm.

"Would you be able to hold my hand?" Alec asked her. "It would make it easier to get you down."

Madzie looked at the Shadowhunter and allowed him to pry her hand off of the horse's ear. Alec stood up a bit taller and guided her hand toward his shoulder, causing Madzie to slide sideways.

"Come here, sweetheart," Alec said, trying to encourage her. He leaned away from her a bit more, and she fell softly into his embrace, both of her arms reaching over his shoulders.

"You're such a good girl," Alec praised. Realizing what had happened, Madzie tucked her legs up into Alec's ribs and clutched onto pieces of his shirt, hiding her eyes in his shoulder. Alec immediately walked back toward Jace and Clary with her.

Clary placed her blood-oath hand protectively on the back of Madzie's head and the three of them watched as the black curse completely vanished.

"Here," Jace said, taking off his leather jacket. He covered Madzie with it and helped Alec secure it under his arms.

"Thanks. We'll be at Magnus' place. Are you going to—?"

"For as much as I'd love to join you," Jace said, smiling, "we have to go report this, and I want to check on—"

"Isabelle."

Alec and Jace spoke her name together. She was in a treatment facility, detoxing. Her brothers trusted the program, but they hated that they couldn't see her every day.

Clary nodded toward the whimpering bundle in Alec's arms. If Max Lightwood looked small for his age next to Alec, Madzie seemed to almost disappear. "You sure you're going to be ok?" she asked him.

"I have no idea," he whispered.


	2. Holding On Tight

The elevator came to a stop at the top of Magnus' building and Alec felt a sense of relief move through him like a wave. The elevator made a ping noise when it settled at the penthouse floor, the doors rattling as they slid open. Alec stepped forward and moved into the hallway with Madzie still clinging to him under Jace's leather jacket, his arms wrapped around her. He felt the little girl's grip on his shirt tighten as he walked forward.

"It's ok, Madzie," Alec said. "We are at my friend's house. He'll know how to help make you better. He's a warlock too."

She had been keeping her face hidden in his neck as he spoke, but at the mention of the word "warlock," she shook her head back and forth and pushed against his chest, trying to wiggle out of his hold.

Alec was taken aback and held onto her to keep her from falling. He was grateful that Jace's jacket aided him in keeping Madzie secure.

"Madzie," Alec whispered. "Don't be scared, sweetheart. Don't be scared."

Madzie reached up and touched her fingers to the side of Alec's cheek. "No—"

It was the smallest mumble Alec had ever heard, but Madzie had spoken to him, and Alec wasn't expecting any sort of trust from her so soon.

The little girl, realizing she had gotten his attention, tucked her arms back down under the jacket and buried her face in his shoulder once more.

"No?" Alec asked softly, "No to what, Madzie?"

"N-no…" she whispered again, wiping her eyes against Alec's shirt. "No warlocks."

Alec rubbed circles on her back and bounced her a bit in his arms as he paced in the hallway.

"No warlocks?"

"No more," she whispered. She squinted her eyes tightly again, fearful.

Alec could feel her shaking now. Someone had coached her to fear warlocks. Had she not remembered that she was a warlock herself? Alec knew he needed to play along if he was going to keep her calm under Magnus' care.

"Ok," Alec said, "ok, Madzie. No warlocks."

She gave a small nod but kept her eyes closed, trying to relax in Alec's arms.

Alec sighed and walked further down the hall. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you, remember? Nothing can get you here. No one's going to hurt you. He's gone."

Alec stared at Magnus' door at the end of the hallway.

He hadn't gotten to speak to Magnus on the phone back at the warehouse, and he didn't know what Jace had told Magnus about Madzie.

Alec knew Magnus was incredibly protective as the high warlock, and seeing Madzie in such a fragile state was going to make him furious, but now - how were they going to help her and treat her if she was afraid of herself?

Alec stared down at the cuts on Madzie's neck and studied them more closely. Something non-human had attacked her, attacked her warlock mark. And if Valentine was behind it, what else had she been through while she was held captive?

Alec couldn't afford to show his anger in front of her. There would be time for vengeance tomorrow.

"Madzie, is it ok if we knock on the door and go inside?" Alec asked gently. "My friend Magnus lives here. He won't let anyone hurt you... or any warlocks hurt you."

Madzie shut her eyes, squinting them tightly.

"N-no," Madzie whispered.

Alec's heart dropped.

"I promise you, Madzie," Alec said, holding her close. He rocked her in his arms and continued to pace. "He's safe."

"J-just, no m-magic," she stuttered.

Alec hesitated. He lifted the arm that had been wrapped around her back and ran his hand across the top of her head. "To help you feel better? No magic?" Alec asked.

"He'll get mad..." she whispered.

"Oh, Alexander."

Alec took in a sharp breath and spun on his heels. Magnus stood in the doorway with his head tilted, watching the Shadowhunter's every move.

"How long have you been standing there?" Alec asked. He knew his own eyes were watery now.

"Long enough," Magnus said.

Madzie flinched at the sound of the foreign voice and Magnus internally recoiled. Sure he was a stranger to her, but from what he had overheard, he was certain that she had been brainwashed, conditioned to fear her own kind. Their kind.

Magnus nodded toward his apartment behind him, gesturing for Alec to just come inside with Madzie.

"Is it ok if we go inside?" Alec asked her gently. Madzie didn't react. Alec was ready to carry her in regardless, but she still had powers whether she realized it or not, and he didn't want to do anything against her wishes. "You can trust him. I promise," he added. Alec looked to Magnus, unsure of what to do next.

"Hi, sweet pea," Magnus said, still planted in the entryway. "I won't hurt you. No magic. Just like you said."

Madzie didn't resist or try to get away from Alec's hold.

"I'm going to walk inside now, ok?" Alec said. "Let's get you some juice."

Madzie pulled down on the piece of Alec's shirt that was bunched up in her hand, and though Magnus probably couldn't see it, Alec felt her discreetly nod her head. He smiled and headed to the door, but a part of him still wanted to protect Magnus.

Alec pulled Jace's jacket up a bit higher over Madzie's gills as he got closer to the warlock, nervous about how Magnus would react to seeing what had happened.

When Alec was inside, Magnus silently shut the door behind them, and Alec turned toward the kitchen.

"I'm proud of you, Alexander," Magnus whispered.

"I just hope you have a plan."


	3. Gaining Trust

Unsure of what was going to happen or where she was, Madzie kept her eyes shut tight, hiding her face against Alec's chest.

"We're safe here," Alec reminded her. He held her close, trying to be comforting, but still confused about what she had been through before he found her at the warehouse.

"Are you hungry, sweet pea?" Magnus asked. He was already pouring a small glass of apple juice for the girl. Madzie didn't respond to his question, but Alec knew she must have been starving.

"I think we are, Magnus," Alec said, answering for both of them.

Magnus smiled at the Shadowhunter and pushed the glass of juice toward him. "Try," Magnus mouthed.

Alec nodded and shifted Madzie so that he was holding her with just one arm and tried to expose her face, reaching for the glass with his free hand. She squirmed and arched her back, causing Alec to move his arm as to take the pressure off of her ribs. He cursed under his breath. She was in pain.

"I'm sorry, it's ok," he muttered. "We'll help you. Can you drink some of this for me, Madzie?" Alec touched the cold glass to her lips and held his breath, hoping he wasn't about to make a mess. He tilted the glass and was relieved to see that she was drinking. She reached up to hold onto the glass with one hand as she finished off what was left of the apple juice, and then opened her eyes to see Alec smiling down at her.

"It's good, right?" Alec asked.

Alec saw the corners of Madzie's lips curl. It was an almost smile. He'd take that as a win.

A pot clinked on the stovetop and Madzie hid her face once more, eyes scrunched tight. Alec's attention turned to the kitchen, where he saw Magnus standing over the burner with a small pot of water and wooden spoon in his hand.

"You're cooking?" Alec asked.

"We've been through this, Alexander," Magnus said softly. "Of course I'm cooking. Well, it's just oatmeal. But I can't snap it together if we're not using any m-a-g-i-c, now can I?"

Alec watched him work with a newfound curiosity. He'd never seen Magnus cook before, even if he was just stirring a packet of oatmeal into a pot of boiling water.

"Refill the glass and get comfortable on the couch," Magnus said, keeping his voice low and steady.

Alec followed the order and managed to pour more juice, careful of how he held Madzie, before walking over the red couch in the living room. He sat down and realized that Madzie was facing the window.

"Look, sweetheart," Alec said, trying to get her to open her eyes, "can you see the bridge with all of the lights? It's so pretty." He tried to get Madzie to sit next to him on the couch, but she stayed glued to him, sitting on his lap and trying to hide.

"It's just you and me, Madzie," Alec said, "you can open your eyes. It's safe. We made it to the safe place. I want you to see that it's not scary here."

He ran his hand across the top of her head. "I'll give you some more juice if you open your eyes."

He hated that he had settled for bribery, and he knew that he'd let her have the juice regardless, but Alec watched and she slowly started to squint, adjusting to the bright space and the lights from the city.

"Good girl," he said. This time, he handed her the glass and she accepted it with both hands cupped around the sides, drinking all of it before Alec took it back from her and set it on the table.

Alec reached for Jace's jacket, which was still draped around Madzie's shoulders, and tossed it to the far side of the couch. He could see that Magnus was almost finished with what he had been preparing, and would be coming over to them soon. He wanted to see if he could get a look at Madzie's ribs before Magnus brought over the oatmeal.

"Does your back hurt, Madzie?" Alec asked softly. The little girl nodded, leaning into him for warmth. "And what about your neck? Your marks still hurt too?" Madzie reached up and covered her gills with the palms of her hands, nodding slowly. "It's ok," Alec said reassuringly. He knew that know was not the time to pry. "Magnus will know how to help you."

Magnus sat across from them and put the hot bowl of oatmeal on the table. "I think it may need to cool off a minute," he said, laughing internally that he could just correct the temperature with a snap of his fingers.

Alec pat the spot next to them on the couch and gestured for Magnus to come sit next to them. "There's ummm," Alec started, "something I want you to see." Alec coaxed Madzie into pulling her hands off her neck, and she clutched pieces of Alec's t-shirt once more, turning her torso toward him.

Magnus walked over and immediately realized that something was very wrong with Madzie, something that had been kept hidden from him until now.

"Alexander," Magnus whispered, gasping. He sat down on the couch and studied Madzie's gills. "A demon did this? Or a Shadowhunter?"

"I don't know," Alec said. "It doesn't look human to me..."

Magnus didn't want to touch the girl, but he needed to help her heal. He knew she must have suffered, unable to defend herself or control her abilities. He swallowed hard, trying to suppress memories that were breaking through about his own childhood trauma. He could almost feel his own throat tightening...

"Magnus," Alec said, a concerned look in his eye. "Are you ok?"

Magnus inhaled sharply. "Yeah," he said, "I'm fine... do they look poisoned to you?"

"You think a demon did this?" Alec asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she will..."

"Madzie," Alec said, tucking his chin down toward her, "we want to help you feel better and that means helping your gills feel better, but it would be easier if we knew who did this too you."

Madzie tensed and shook her head back and forth. "No magic," she mumbled.

"We know, sweet pea," Magnus said. He took a risk and reached out to take hold of her hand. Alec was surprised to see Madzie allow Magnus to do so.

Magnus got her to let go of Alec's shirt and ran his thumb over the top of her hand. "Did Valentine, the bad man who took you, did he do this?"

"No," Madzie whispered.

Alec shot a quizzical look at his boyfriend.

"Did Valentine make someone else do this?" Alec asked carefully.

Madzie's eyes filled with water and she slowly nodded her head one time. "He has monsters," she said.

"A mutant," Alec said to Magnus. "Someone he's experimented on."

Magnus stood up from the couch and turned to the window, trying to keep himself composed. Alec wrapped both arms around Madzie and held her close, kissing the top of her head.

"I'll be right back," Magnus said, walking toward the office. Alec knew where he was truly headed - his potion supply shelves.

"We're going to put some medicine on your gills, ok?" Alec said slowly. "We won't let it hurt you, but we will need to touch your neck, kiddo."

Madzie stayed still, not responding to Alec's comment. He knew she was still processing what he had told her was about to happen.

"Do you want Magnus to hold you while I put on the medicine? Or do you want to stay with me and let Magnus help your gills?"

"Stay like this," she whispered.

"Good girl," Alec said. Magnus was walking back to them with several items in his hands: some soft gauze, a small jar of cream, and thin bottle of something that Alec couldn't make out the label on.

Magnus reached out and took hold of Alec's hand, much to the Shadowhunter's surprise. Magnus put Alec's hand on the side of Madzie's head and then Alec understood.

The Shadowhunter made sure Madzie was sitting sideways on his lap, her legs secured between his knees. He pinned her head up against his chest with one hand and took hold of the little girl's hands with the other, allowing him to keep her pretty well restrained without scaring her.

Magnus pulled up a chair and sat as close as he could to them. "So we're doing this the mundane way, hmm?" Magnus asked.

"I think so..." Alec said.

"Ok, sweet pea," Magnus said, trying to keep his voice soothing. "This might be a bit cold, but I'm going to clean up your gills with some medicine, ok?"

Madzie braced herself, wanting to do as they told her, but she couldn't help but flinch when Magnus patted the disinfectant with the gauze on the side of her neck.

"You're ok," Alec reminded her, repeating encouraging phrases as Magus continued to wipe away the dried blood. Alec watched as Magnus delicately worked, fascinated by how careful he was being, and without the help of any magic.

"I'm going to put some cream on your neck that's going to help these heal faster, and then I need to cover your gills with a patch. It might feel strange to have them covered, but we can take it off in the morning, ok?"

"Like my scarf?" Madzie whispered.

Magnus paused. "Yes, smart girl. Like how your scarf covers them. This is going to help the stinging go away too..."

Alec helped keep Madzie still while Magnus applied the cream and large bandage. It took a moment, but Madzie could feel the numbing medicine in the cream starting to take effect. She looked over to Magnus and smiled. "Not magic?" she whispered.

"It's not magic," he said, beaming with pride that she was starting to trust him. "Do you think I could help you with the other side?"

Without answering, Madzie tried to turn her body around and got some assistance from Alec, who helped her reverse her position in his lap, exposing her other set of gills and holding her head in place once more.

Magnus followed the same procedure, wanting to be predictable. He explained what he was doing before he did it, aware that Madzie couldn't see him. She still flinched a bit at the cold sensation, but Alec could feel her muscles relaxing as the medicine took effect.

Magnus reached over to the table and grabbed the bowl of oatmeal and the spoon, handing them to Alec. Magnus looked like he was about to say something, but he paused and stood up abruptly. Alec could see Magnus' eyes were becoming glossy.

"I, umm. I need a minute," Magnus said. He picked up the items from the table and walked back toward his office to return the supplies to his cabinet, but Alec was worried. He knew seeing Madzie hurt would trigger something in the older warlock.

"Madzie, I need to go talk with Magnus, ok? Can you sit here and eat this for me?"

Madzie's eyes got wide, but she nodded and sat up taller. "Magnus is sad?" she asked, reaching up to trace the rune on Alec's neck.

"Yeah, I think... I think maybe he is, Madzie."


	4. Protection

Madzie pushed herself back onto the couch, tucking her legs up in front of her. She tried to listen to what Alec and Magnus were saying in the other room, but she was much more interested in the warm bowl of food in her lap. She scooped the spoon down into the bowl and quickly stuffed more oatmeal than she should have into her mouth. She didn't want them to take away the food like the bad man had done. She was halfway finished when the voices in the other room grew louder. Madzie stopped the spoon from clinking against the ceramic bowl and tried hard to listen to the conversation happening behind her.

"No, Alexander. You cannot tell anyone about this. Not yet."

"I think she's hurt more than she's letting on. And she could have information..."

"And that's for us to work out here. Together. She just... she reminded me of someone else who'd been hurt, unloved as a child, and I was... overwhelmed. I'm fine, Alexander."

Alec reached out and gently wiped the tear off his boyfriend's cheek. He brought his head down slightly to make better eye-contact with the warlock. "I only want to do what's best for her. For you. If this is too much-"

"-No, no. We have to help her." Magnus ran his hand down the Shadowhunter's runed arm, interlocking their fingers together when he reached Alec's hand.

Alec took hold of the other hand as well and moved his thumbs soothingly over the tops of Magnus' knuckles. "When Jace first moved into the Institute, he used to have these terrible nightmares about Valentine," Alec said. "I'd find him crying in his bed all alone. He would never want to tell me about it, but once in a while I could hear him talking in his sleep. Sometimes it would just be mumbling, but other nights... he'd almost scream, begging Valentine not to hurt him, pleading for him not to break his hand at the piano bench or to beat him in training. When I saw Madzie tonight, I remembered what Jace had been like at 10. I can't imagine what life with Valentine would be like for someone half that age. Even if it was only for a few days."

"Alexander. No one will hurt her again. We will both see to that," Magnus said. He leaned forward and softly pressed a kiss to Alec's lips, squeezing Alec's hands when he pulled away. "She will stay here, and we'll learn why she refuses magic, and we will heal. Together."

Madzie placed the bowl back on the table and slowly inched her way off of the couch, tiptoeing toward where the voices came from. She stood against the wall, afraid to turn the corner, but listened closely to every word.

"Are the wards still up at least?" Alec asked.

"Of course. I will not risk your safety while you're here, Alexander... or my own... or the girl's, even if she doesn't understand why the magic is needed. Just because we're playing mundane in here does not mean I would stop using magic to protect the building."

Madzie's eyes grew wide. She was surrounded by magic this whole time? She sprinted back over to the couch, but rather than sit on the cushions, she let herself sink down to the floor...

Alec and Magnus stepped back into the living room, and when Alec saw the couch was vacant, he put out his forearm to stop Magnus from going any closer.

"Where is she, Alexander?"

Alec crept forward slowly, scanning the room for any sign of where she could be hiding. She couldn't have gone out the front door - not with the wards up - but Alec gestured for Magnus to check near the door and in the kitchen while he looked behind curtains and in closets.

"Madzie," Alec said to the living room, "I know you're scared, but we won't let anything bad happen. We know you're hurting and-"

He stopped when he saw the shoe sticking out from under the couch. "Magnus," Alec said calmly, calling for the warlock to join him.

Alec moved the coffee table aside and got down on his stomach so he could have a better view of the scene under the couch. Madzie was lying on her side, her head buried into the crook of her arm.

"Hi," Alec said simply. "Why are you hiding, sweetheart?"

Madzie shook her head back and forth.

"You don't know why?" Alec asked.

"No magic," she whispered.

"We're not using any-" Alec paused.

"She heard us." Magnus sighed.

Alec nodded at Magnus and then turned back to Madzie. He reached his hand out to her under the couch.

"There's something that goes all around this building," Alec said. "They're called wards." He snaked his hand under one of her palms, hoping she'd take hold of his fingers. "But they keep us safe. It's like a giant shield to stop any bad guys."

Madzie's voice cracked as she spoke. "He can see it."

"Who can see it?" Alec asked.

"He'll find us."

"Who will find us?"

Magnus was listening intently now, but he was also intrigued by Alec's demeanor. Belly on the floor, his tone so soft and actions so gentle. He couldn't help but smile even under the circumstances. But as he listened to Madzie's answers, he realized that he had solved the puzzle.

"Alexander," Magnus said. "She's under the impression she'll be tracked, that all magic will be tracked."

Alec turned his focus back to Magnus. "She was afraid he'd come for her?"

"He'll find us," Madzie repeated. "He'll hurt you too."

Alec's heart was breaking, but he let a small smile escape. "You were trying to keep me safe?" he asked. He gently ran his hand across her forehead.

Much to Alec's surprise, Magnus joined him on the floor, eager to try and help coax her out of her hiding spot.

"The thing about wards, Madzie," Magnus explained, "is that they cannot be tracked."

In reality it was much more complex than that, but the goal was to gain her trust, and they both knew Valentine's abilities did not go as far as to be able to track magic. Her fear of magic was just a manipulation tool.

"Not even tracked by monsters?" she asked.

"Not even by monsters," Magnus said. "If a monster even tried to come near us, it would blast him far far away."

Alec waited a few moments for Madzie to process the information.

"Are you ready to come from under there now?" he asked.

"...Ok," she said.

Alec pulled his hand back and the two men got up from the floor, each standing on opposite ends of the couch. They lifted it up and walked a few feet back, placing it behind where Madzie was curled up. Magnus looked down at the girl, but then shut his eyes and took a breath.

"Talk to her," Magnus said. "I'm going to get some supplies to help."

Alec look confused for a moment, but then he saw what Magnus had seen. Madzie's shirt had lifted up on the side, the extension of a dark purple bruise now visible.


End file.
